The Riddle House
by APhoenixRising
Summary: "The conspiracy was still alive in the village of Little Hangleton." The storyteller is in town and he's telling the villagers their favourite story: The Riddle House


**Quidditch League:**

 **Round 1:** Where are we going?

 **Beater 1:** Set your story in Little Hangleton

 **Prompts:** 12\. (word) shadow, 14. (word) contagious

 **Word Count:** 902 exc. title

 **The Riddle House**

It was a stormy night. The kind of night where you want to curl up on the sofa with a warm drink and doze off to the sounds of the rain pounding against the windows. Yet no one was at home on this stormy night, no one was boiling the kettle for a mug of tea and no one was falling asleep. Not yet anyway, for everyone was crowded into The Hanged Man, a small pub at the centre of Little Hangleton, to hear their favourite story. The Storyteller was in town and he was just about to tell "The Riddle House".

oOo

"There was once a time where the Riddle House was the finest building for miles around. It was a feat of architecture. People came from all over just to gaze in wonder at its bay windows and pretty lawns. It had always been owned by the Riddle family, 'ence the name the 'Riddle House', who were a respectable if disliked wealthy family. Respectable that is until their young lad ran off with an urchin from the 'ovel just outside the village. It caused an outrage, it did, a scandal! Why would the squire's son run off with the tramp's daughter? The Riddle's 'id behind their doors, not willing to show their face in public again, and that was when the first rumours began. "Magic," they said. Of course Tom returned eventually spouting nonsense 'bout bein' taken in and bein' 'oodwinked. Eventually Tom returned to 'is previous life and for a while the rumours of magic quietened down. The Riddles were left alone and they carried on their life in relative peace. Of course, you Little Hangletonians always left them in peace. Never 'ave I met such arrogant people!

But then they were murdered, weren't they? I was 'ere myself that very day when that poor maid came runnin' into the village. I'd never seen such 'orror on a poor woman's face before. I took 'er myself into this very pub and brought her a strong whiskey. Or two! Well, we know what happened next, old Frank Bryce the gardener was taken off by the bobbies. Always knew he had a dark side to 'im. He saw too much in the War, he did. Affected 'im up 'ere.

Once again there were rumours of magic around the village. Frank 'imself endorsed those rumours! He tried to push the blame onto anyone or anything but 'imself. Codswallop! He was a murderer, but he was afraid he'd gone too far, didn't he, taken one step too many. But Frank was released suddenly, tricked the police somehow I reckon, and he went back to livin' in 'is old cottage on the estate. He kept 'imself to 'imself though, knew that we didn't want no murderer 'ere in the village.

Families came and went after the murders, they never lasted for long though and soon the house fell into disrepair. It was as if something contagious had taken it over, wrapping lifeless arms around the banisters and sweeping across the walls. Uh, look at me getting all flowery. Anyway you could feel the despair from down 'ere in the valley. It was like a black cloud over the village.

But then Frank was found dead, and it was all brought up again. The magic, the curse, the conspiracy. One thing was for sure though, that night that Frank died, the truth died with 'im. No one knows who murdered the Riddles all those years ago now, and so the mystery remains as just that. A mystery. Maybe Frank was innocent and was murdered or maybe the guilt of what he'd done had finally ripped 'im apart and he decided to take his own life. We can never really say for sure but my money's on the latter. I never believed his innocence, still to this day I think he murdered those people.

And don't forget those lights over by the graveyard a decade ago. Red and green they flashed over and over, pulsating in the darkness until suddenly… they stopped. A scream of anguish... and then silence. Many rumours came and went about that night: from kids setting off fireworks, to even aliens taking an innocent griever (though no one has been buried there since the old Riddle family). I reckon it's linked somehow. I went down to the graveyard myself and guess what I saw… the earth all trampled right by the grave of the young boy Tom Riddle. Now, if that don't get ya on the edge of ya seat I don't know what will!

Nothing has happened at the Riddle House since the time with the lights, but something will in the future. Do ya know why? Because it's cursed, the whole house is cursed and heck, maybe even the village. Something came upon the village back when those first murders 'appened, something dark, and I, for one, don't think it's finished it's job yet. And this man who has the house now. "Tax reasons," he says as his reason for owning it. That's crap! I reckon he's funding the curse and needs a place to hide out…"

oOo

There was a slight movement at the back of the pub. A hooded man slipped out of the shadows and through the front door; he had heard what he needed to. The conspiracy was still alive in the village of Little Hangleton.


End file.
